Bitter cold, poor road conditions force West Michigan schools to close again Tuesday

File photo of Dean Transportation bus transporting Grand Rapids students to school in the fall of 2013.Chris Clark MLive.com

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - On Tuesday, Jan. 28, West Michigan schools will close for the second consecutive day because of bitterly cold temperatures and poor road conditions, according to school leaders.

Kent and Ottawa school districts, including Grand Rapids and Zeeland schools, began announcing closures late Monday afternoon.

"All Kent schools are making the decision to close, recognizing that between the weather and road conditions, it is not safe for students and staff to open," said John Helmholdt, communications director for Grand Rapids schools.

"This is the perfect storm of freezing temperatures coupled with poor road conditions on the main thoroughfares and side streets. The plows really aren't able to get through."

Additional snowfall of 1 to 3 inches is expected to continue through Wednesday. Lake effect snow is expected to continue to accumulate alongside blowing winds and wind chill values of 15 to 30 degrees below zero.

School officials say they are not concerned with exceeding the six severe weather days allowed by the state that they would have to make up. Most districts in Kent will have used five days as of Tuesday and Ottawas schools will be at either six or seven days.

In May 2013, Gov. Rick Snyder signed a law allowing school districts that cancelled class multiple times that winter to meet state requirements by extending existing days rather than scheduling makeups.

However, that law was effective for the previous school year only, according to Bill DiSessa, a spokesman with the Michigan Department of Communications. He said it is not in effect this year.